Welcome to In A Lather. i'm sookie, and here you'll find my takes on celebs, tv shows and movies that are favs of mine, that i hope are or soon will be favs of yours too. Also events in the entertainment and fashion industry.Thanks for stopping by, and please feel free to comment.
you had me at "high and mighty". Showtime's succinct advertising copy for Nurse Jackie sooo defines the title character. Season 2's intervention didn't take. Jackie is increasing her self-medicating, in denial about her addiction, and lying to her husband, friends, co-workers, and boss. Resulting in her life rapidly spiraling out of control.
Many have been closed as the result of budget cuts, but All Saints Hospital is still standing. To give some shift relief to doctors O'Hara and Cooper, and nurses Zoey, Sam, and Thor, ER administrator Gloria Akalitus intends to scoop up as many of the closed hospitals out of work staff as possible, and since it's a buyers' market, she intends to get them for bargain salaries. Also she's campaigning to get First Lady Obama to help raise funds for All Saints, so it doesn't meet the same fate as it's neighbors.
Jackie hasn't lost her gift of being a terrific nurse---she has great bedside manner, and not just for the patients, but also for their anxious loved ones. Often thinking 3 steps ahead regarding what is best for the patient. And this is why despite her flaws, we root for Jackie. Yes, she is damaged. But she's also funny, charming, smart, and sincerely tries to do what's best for her kids, Grace and Fiona.
Nurse Jackie's 3rd season premieres Monday March 28th at 10:00pm on Showtime. Please check your local listings.
Showtime's Nurse Jackie Season 3 Episode 1 Game On [Full Ep courtesy Megavideo]
Confession---i'm a bit of a snob when it comes to covers of songs and re-makes of movies. Usually don't care for either. my view is if you can't bring something unique or deliver as strong a performance as the original work my attention wanders. To begin with i have a short one [attention span] so fairly or not, the listening/viewing is usually over before it has begun. But there are exceptions to every rule and in the case of Todd Haynes' reworking of Mildred Pierce i can't wait. i applaud anyone having the courage to tackle the project.
The 1945 version based on the James M. Cain novel has a cameo appearance by Butterfly McQueen and starred Joan Crawford f'cryin'outloud. i am a huge fan of Ms. Crawford and as far as i'm concerned she can do no wrong [on the screen anyway]*shrug*. In HBO's 2011 5 part mini-series adaptation, Academy award winner Kate Winslet delivers such a powerful performance it is not only worthy of the same praise Crawford garnered it may even be [dare i say it] better. Evan Rachel Wood is perfection as Mildred's daughter Veda and Guy Pearce is great as lecherous parasite Monty. The production was shot in Peekskill NY, but the sets, costumes and cinematography capture the look of the the story's setting, the California coast, and the story's time [the '30's and '40's] beautifully.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Mildred Pierce lives in an era when it was not the norm for a woman to divorce, be a single parent, or work outside the home, let alone own her own business. Mildred was roaring before the Helen Reddy anthem was penned, and she roared loudly. Mildred came from humble beginnings, and naturally, wanted something more for her children, Veda and Kay. Mildred becomes a successful restauranteuse [but not without cost---hey sometimes a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do] and acquires the means to give her daughters the finer things in life. Veda, an original material girl, turns out to be spoiled, cruel, manipulative, scheming, elitist, and a steam-roller over anyone who stands between herself, money, fame, and ultimately a high standing in society. Not that there's anything wrong with ambition, but Veda leaves a trail of bodies
one not just figuratively
on her path to success. Not even her mother is spared Veda's cruelty, but because Mildred is so desperate to have her daughter's love she forgives her humiliations and indiscretions.
So get comfy, and break out the snacks and the tissues. TCM is airing the 1945 Mildred Pierce on Saturday March 26th at 8:00pm
HBO's 5 part Mildred Pierce mini-series begins on Sunday March 27th at 9:00pm. Please check your local listings.
A clip of the 1945 rendition of Mildred Pierce starring Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth
Series finales usually have the daunting task of tying up the loose ends of a season's worth of plot lines, while simultaneously anticipating what may be on the minds of the show's viewers.
Gonna miss Grant Show as the Goji juice guru. Proving to be more than just eye-candy---his character had just the right amount of creepiness to make his personality undesirable---despite still bringing the sexy. Ditto Robert Patrick's Juniper Creek resident.
Will Bill be indicted, tried, convicted, and sent to prison for marrying Margene before she was of the age of consent [even though he was unaware and she had her mom's permission]. Will Barb join a new Mormon church. Is Nicki truly going to make amends with her daughter Cara Lynn
Will the dynamic of HeatherBen and Rhonda's relationship result in him receiving a priesthood and living the principle with them.
It was nice to see Bill's right hand man Don be more assertive in the last few eps of season 5. Hope that spine stays strong in the finale.
In every season Grace Zabriskie's Lois and Bruce Dern's Frank gave fans all they could want and then some.
They've been mentioned but season 5 hasn't had many eps where we've seen Teenie or Sarah. Will we see Teenie or Sarah in the finale or will they only be given a mention again. And the same can be said of Bill's brother Joey
HBO will air a retrospective of the series, Big Love: The End Of Days on Sunday March 20th at 4:30pm The 10th episode of the 5th and final season of HBO's Big Love airs Sunday March 20th 2011 at 9:00pm There will be many repeat airings of the retrospective and the 10th ep of the season 5 and series finale. Please check your local listings.
Brooklyn, birds, boxing. The common denominator connected to these variables: Mike Tyson. Since he was a child, Brooklyn native Mike Tyson has been drawn to birds, specifically pigeons. Today the 44 year old former five time heavyweight boxing champ has 2500 racing pigeons. There are two classifications of birds he prefers: "tipplers" or "flights" who have the ability to remain airborne without interruption for as much as 16 hours, and "Birmingham rollers" which have the capability of acrobatic flight---turning somersaults and moving in reverse while in flight.
On March 6th Animal Planet begins a six part series, Taking On Tyson. The series educates the uninitiated about the training and sport of racing pigeons, and brings fans into the current world of the man once billed as 'the baddest on the planet'. Mike no longer practices the sweet science, but he's still competitive and wants his birds to be winners. The birds are therapeutic for Mr.Tyson and his admiration of them is a revelation.
Taking On Tyson airs on Animal Planet Sundays at 10:00pm with repeat airings on Mondays at 9:00pm, Fridays at 10:00pm. Please check your local listings.
i'm a gemini from wash.dc, married 35 yrs to an aries from san antonio texas.
i'm sookie, he's tex, together we are sookietex.
Many people think i adopted the name sookie after HBO's TrueBlood heroine Sookie Stackhouse.
Nope. It's not my birth name, but my older brother gave me the nickname sookie when i was a baby.
Best and might i add most prescient gift bro' ever gave me ;D
hubby and i live in nyc and even though we like it here, we dream of the day when we'll pull up stakes and move to austin, or maybe some other town in the lone star state.
a bit more about me and In A Lather public domain image credits
library of congress prints and photographs online: secession bubbleknow nothing soap
i am a child of the south, a "boomer", born in 1958, a child of the television age. This was a time when "African-Americans" referred to themselves as "colored". In fact on my birth certificate under racial description, "colored" is the word that is used. Today i still affectionately refer to myself as a "colored child". my paternal great grandpa was Blackfoot Nation, and my maternal great grandmother was also Native American, [but i have not found out which Nation]---i affectionately refer to that part of my heritage as 'injun'---hey i'm never going to be described as politically correct and have no desire to be.
my mother was a woman who was far ahead of her time in terms of "feminist" survival. Long before it was fashionable, she was a single parent. She did have support, and not just financial from my pop, but they did not live together as husband & wife. In fact they never did take that walk down the aisle...but that's another story. Mom was a woman who worked outside the home long before most women of her generation would have even thought of making that choice, much less do it. She fully appreciated the value, neccessity, and strength of a loving extended family. She did not need anyone to tell her it "takes a village".
When mother was at work, i, the youngest of 4 (2 sisters 1 brother & me), was alternately cared for by mother's eldest sister, "auntie" as we used to call her, and our nextdoor neighbors. They were like family to us. We called the elder woman 'grandma' (to this day I do not know her given name), and her daughter Miss Elsie, or more usually 'aunt'Elsie. They were very religious folk. God fearing, bible reading, honest, and i and my family loved them dearly. 'Aunt'Elsie always made sure my days were full of activity, but one of my favorite times of the day was when she would look at her watch and say "oh my, we'd better hurry, it's almost time for my stories". By her 'stories'
she of course meant the day's soap operas. For Elsie and her mother, watching the soaps was sort of a guilty pleasure, but at the same time they made it seem sacred. It was a ritualistic activity. Her favorites were The Edge of NightThe Secret Storm and General Hospital
Paul Harvey would say i am giving you "the rest of the story" so that you may better understand its importance, and how it relates to the spirit of this blog. Which is to say we all have drama of some level going on in our lives, so sometimes the plotlines of our favorite shows may seem either tame, empathetic, or absurd, depending on where life may take you on any given day.
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